Shimoga Riots and Secular Reporting

Dear Sir,

Reference the news report on the Frontpage – ” Two killed in Police firing in Shimoga ” – (TNIE- 02 MAR)

One understood the meaning of the term “Bland Diet”, on reading the report !! No mention of the cause of the ” protests by various groups “, as also what was the infuriating  “Article”  that led to these clashes !!

On the contrary, here is a sample of what the other “equally secular” English media reported on 02 Mar, to give their readers the picture :

(A) Hindustan Times.

“  Curfew was imposed in Shimoga district, around 280 km from here. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 were clamped in Hassan and Belgaum district. Prohibitory orders were also put in place in Bangalore as a precautionary measure till 10 pm on Friday. Shimoga Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Kumar Pandey told Hindustan Times that situation worsened when a mob, protesting the translation of Taslima Nasreen’s views on Burkha system published in a vernacular daily, gathered at Waqf Board office and started pelting stones. They also clashed with members of other community, most of whom were planning to celebrate the festival of Holi. Police resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the angry mob, which set afire 27 vehicles, including jeeps, auto-rickshaws, trucks, buses and motorcycles “.

(B) The Indian Express

” The situation is peaceful on Tuesday in Shimoga and Hassan in Karnataka, which saw violence over publication of an article, allegedly written by Taslima in a leading Kannada daily “.

(C) -The People’s Daily of Chennai – OOPS !! – The Hindu

” SHIMOGA/Hassan: Shimoga and Hassan cities witnessed widespread violence on Monday following protests by Muslim organisations against the publication of an article in the Sunday magazine section of a Kannada daily. The article is a translation of an essay by Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen on wearing of the burka by Muslim women, and contains remarks that could be considered religiously insensitive and provocative .”

(D) – Rediff.Com

” Communal violence rocked Shimoga which is Karnataka  chief minister B S Yedyurappa’s constituency after a newspaper published an article authored by Tasleema Nasreen regarding the purdah system.A verrnacular daily had translated a write up by Taslima Nasreen regarding the purdah system. Some persons had opposed the article and resorted to violence “.

The fact of the matter is that the foregoing reports tell the reader that Taslima Nasreen’s Article on the ‘Purdah’ led to the riots. Now the ‘fascist’ Hindu right-wing (to use your nomenclature !!) – couldn’t have started the riots. Therefore, it was the ‘Believers in Allah’ who started the riots. And “The New Christian – Muslim Monitor” – I meant – The New Indian Express cannot report it !!

But, when the Mangalore pub incidents took place, imagination ran riot in our ‘secular English media’ . Non-existent events were ‘manufactured’ to show Hindu society in poor light !! Editorials were written. Venom and vitriol flowed freely, as one witnessed in the M.F. Hussain Editorial a few days ago !! But then, we are Nehruvian “secular” stupid !!

In the Article on Nanaji Deshmukh published in the TNIE – 01 Mar, S.Gurumurthy had alluded to the Indian Express being a ‘nationalist newspaper’ in the days of Ramnath Goenka.

Those were the days.

Times have cahnged. Today, your paper is a ‘SECULAR WIMP’. No more. No less.

Time for the Editor-in-Chief to be awarded the Manoj Kumar Sonthalia award for ‘Best Editor”. We are aware of what follows next !!

URL : http://churumuri.wordpress.com/2008/02/05/in-the-new-indian-express-old-hands-get-the-sack/

JAI HO !!

Vande Mataram
 

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